Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney accused the Philippine government of an “increasingly transparent campaign” to silence Maria Ressa after the journalist was accused of cyber libel for the third time.
Ressa, one of the most prominent journalists in the Philippines, already faces a series of legal charges that could lead to about 100 years in prison.
Last week, Ressa, the CEO of the news site Rappler, was arrested again for a story that alleged students paid a college professor in exchange for a pass – a report she did not write.
Ressa, currently on bail, was convicted of cyber libel in June in relation to a separate report alleging corruption by a Supreme Court judge. She is appealing the sentence, which could lead to up to six years in prison.
In November, she was charged with cyber defamation again over an earlier tweet she had sent. The tweet referred to a published story that described alleged links between the judge and a businessman.
Clooney, the Lebanese-British lawyer who leads a team of international lawyers representing Ressa, said he hoped the Philippine judges would end the “legal charade”, adding: “Here we go again: this is now the tenth arrest warrant issued. against Ressa and the third defamation suit for a public interest story, ”she said.
“It is the last step in the Philippine government’s increasingly transparent campaign to silence it and close its news site, just as the country’s main broadcaster has closed.”
The broadcaster ABS-CBN was forced to go offline by an order to cease and desist in May, after its franchise license expired. The network, which has been repeatedly attacked by President Rodrigo Duterte, has yet to renew its license.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, who also leads the international team of lawyers acting on behalf of Ressa, said the journalist was being penalized for Rappler reports. “The prosecutor should never have accused Mrs. Ressa of this ‘crime’. The court should not have issued an arrest warrant, and now it must reject this baseless charge, ”she said.
Rappler examined the Duterte administration, exposing armies of bots, corruption and documenting his brutal anti-drug campaign, which led, by some estimates, to tens of thousands of extrajudicial deaths.
The president accused Rappler of publishing “false news”.
Ressa and Rappler reporter Rafael Talabong, who wrote the story claiming that a teacher had accepted payment to pass students, each paid a bond of 30,000 pesos ($ 625) on Thursday. Ressa’s lawyers say the article was in the public interest and supported by several sources of evidence.
Prior to publication, Rappler contacted the professor several times to request an answer to the allegations, but he did not comment on the allegations. In his subsequent report to the police, he said the story contained “slanderous, malicious and defamatory statements”.
In addition to cyberlibel charges, Ressa also faces two criminal cases alleging illegal foreign ownership in his companies and investigations into his old tax returns.